Heartbreaker
by GreyMurphy
Summary: "Without meaning to, Harry Potter was a heartbreaker." This is a bittersweet little ficlet, hatched from a weary mind and heart. AU One-sided HarryxTonks.


AN: First off, I don't own Harry Potter, though I would gladly take him if Rowling was ever looking to upgrade. Second, this is a one-shot; though I could be convinced to write another one that was along the lines of this story (probably for Hermione, unless someone has a better idea) if there is enough interest. But lastly, I hope you'll let me know what you think after you read. Reviews both help motivate me and help me learn.

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Without meaning to, Harry Potter was a heartbreaker.

He never did anything overt, never exactly rejected anyone, but he still ended up leaving dozens of woeful admirers in his wake.

One such admirer was Nymphadora Tonks.

Seven years older than the Boy-Who-Lived, and an Auror, she never felt right giving into those feelings of attraction. The combination of such an age gap (at least while they were both still young), and holding a position of authority left her frustrated and wanting more in the * _ahem_ * personal department.

So, she sat back, and watched as Harry grew older, developing into a young hero, fit for many fantasies; and yet she also saw the scared young boy underneath, direly affected by the death all around him, and the danger haunting every step he took. She saw the agony he felt, even as she mourned her cousin's death, and despite her longing to go to him and to find mutual comfort, she was restrained by the fact she was 23 compared to his 15, nearly 16.

Over the next year, she instead found comfort in the arms of Remus, Sirius' best friend, but it was fleeting. He was afraid of the _12_ -year age gap, as well as the wolf inside, and so it only lasted till the end of Harry's sixth year.

And then everything changed in the space between two heartbeats.

The first came as Dumbledore's heart made one last desperate attempt at moving oxygen through his body before he fell from the Astronomy Tower, and his heart beat no more.

Harry and his two best friends spent the next three years on the run, hiding from Voldemort, the Ministry, and the Order. Eventually, when all hope seemed to be lost, they had returned. And when Harry's heart had miraculously started beating once more, everything had been ineffably changed once again.

But the world was in ruins. Hogwarts was partially collapsed, Diagon Alley was abandoned, the Ministry was no more fit for running a government than a pub, and much of the magical population was dead or refugees in other countries.

Without realizing it, or maybe it had been his plan all along, Voldemort had irreversibly scarred Magical Britain.

Harry, his surviving friends, and those brave enough to have weathered the storm began to rebuild. Hogwarts had been repaired first, followed by the village of Hogsmeade. Then the magical district in London had been given a facelift but kept its traditional feel.

Hermione and several other muggleborn had been extraordinarily difficult in the rebuilding process, attempting to "modernize" the wizarding world. It had taken Harry along with several Unspeakables to convince her that there was a reason electricity wouldn't work near such high concentrations of magic.

It also took Harry and several Ravenclaw graduates to inform her why several of the "barbaric" or discriminatory laws were still necessary when they rebuilt the government. Muggleborns had a history of revealing magic to muggles thinking they would just accept the unbelievable power they held over regular folks, and the muggles had a history of capturing them and dissecting them to figure out how their magic worked. Hermione had huffed but acquiesced in the face of such logic. That didn't stop her from instituting protective laws for House Elves and revitalizing the Department of Magical Creatures into the equivalent of the muggle State Department.

Tonks was secretly delighted by how stubborn the girl was, but she also resented how close the girl was to Harry. Three years on the run, half of which was without Ron, Luna, or Neville, had instilled a deep trust between the two young adults, a trust that wouldn't go away simply because every girl in the country was pining after the young hero.

It took seven years for Tonks to realize that she would forever be a part of Harry's life, yet apart from him in the one way she so deeply desired. Fate was cruelly ironic, in providing her this realization at a wedding. Harry stood up to give a speech, toasting the happy bride and groom, but his closing remarks were the ones that left her reeling.

"… look forward to seeing your love blossom and grow stronger and deeper with each year. I also want to express my deepest joy in announcing that I am passing on the Black Lordship to you, Draco. Despite our rocky start as children, you have proven yourself as a morally upright man, who will defend the weak and champion the defenseless. Your work integrating a wizarding cultural course at Hogwarts, and standing alongside me for so many years in the Interim Ministry has shown me you have more than proven yourself separate from the actions of your family."

Harry raised his hand, took off the Black Headship Ring, and tossed it to the blonde at the head table. Draco was so startled, he nearly dropped it. "I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish, Lord Black.

"I also want you to hear a charge I was given when I was given Lordship: protect your family, against anything. This family includes even those who have been estranged for many years." He looked around the room, gaze lingering on herself and other disaffected Blacks. "Sirius told me in his will that the Blacks used to be a proud family, loyal to its members, and vicious in its vengeance toward those who would harm them. I want you to lead the Blacks back to where they once were, and to hold true to the good man I have seen you become."

He turned around again and looked straight at her. "Tonks, I want to charge you with being there for the new Lord Black, as you have for me. Advise him, protect him, and point out how stupid he's being if he needs it. You are like an older sister to me, and I know Draco needs that too." His face lit up with the easy grin she loved so much, and her heart broke. He turned back to Draco, not seeing the tear rolling down her cheek. She didn't hear any more of his speech, and the rest of the reception seemed to fly by.

Before she knew it, the dancing began, and she found herself dancing with first her cousin Draco, then Neville, Kingsley, and several other coworkers. As people began to leave, she too began to gather her belongings, so she could go break down in her own bed. Before she could put on her coat though, she looked up to see the one man she had been hoping to dance with, and the only man she did not want to be within twenty feet of. Besides that creepy man with a mustache that came with the Hogwarts Professors. * _shiver_ *

"Tonks! If I didn't know better, I would say you were avoiding me! Would you mind giving me the honor of one last dance, before you go?" There's that easy smile again, and the hopeful gleam in his eyes that she could never say no to.

And so she danced with Harry Potter, the world around them fading away as she lost herself in his arms. The music faded away, and she shivered as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Thanks Nym. Tonight's been pretty stressful for me, and just knowing I can always count on you definitely helps." He lightly pressed a kiss to her cheek, and walked away, shooting a smile back at her over his shoulder along with a small wave.

Harry Potter was a heartbreaker. He didn't mean to, but he left broken girls in his wake, destroyed by the gentle love he constantly poured out.


End file.
